Birmingham prepares to host European Athletics Championships for the first time

Birmingham will make history next month as the first British city to host the European Athletics Championships, with Alexander Stadium set to welcome more than 1,500 athletes from over 50 nations from 10-16 August. The 27th edition of the championships arrives in the UK on the back of a busy summer of domestic athletics, giving home fans a rare chance to watch a major continental championship on their doorstep.

Alexander Stadium underwent a significant redevelopment between 2019 and 2022, expanding to two permanent stands with a combined capacity of 18,000 and the option to extend to 40,000 for major events. The venue already proved itself on the international stage as the centrepiece of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and organisers say the infrastructure built for that event will be central to Birmingham's ability to stage a championship of this scale.

The week-long programme is split across 13 sessions, six in the mornings and seven in the evenings, with tickets starting from £10 for adults and £5 for under-16s, a pricing structure organisers hope will draw large local crowds throughout the week. More than 50 national federations are expected to send teams, with several countries having already begun confirming their rosters over the past month.

Among the early announcements, Sweden confirmed the first 33 athletes in its travelling squad, headlined by pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis and shot putter Daniel Ståhl, both looking to add continental titles to their world and Olympic honours. British Athletics is expected to field a large home squad across the sprints, middle distance and field events as it looks to capitalise on the advantage of a home crowd at a rebuilt national stadium.

The championships arrive at the end of a packed European season that has already delivered a mile world record in London and a full slate of USA Outdoor Championships results from New York. With British interest high and Alexander Stadium primed for its biggest test since the Commonwealth Games, Birmingham 2026 is shaping up as one of the season's defining fixtures.